A teacher had sex with a 15-year-old boy after speaking to him on dating app Grindr.
Craig Slater, who taught at Wigan high school, knew the boy was underage but said that it wasn't a problem. A teacher misconduct hearing heard that Slater, from Crewe, was not the teen's teacher and that the sexual misconduct took place outside of an educational setting.
However the boy involved was a pupil at another school and so a panel deciding Slater's fate said they were satisfied his behaviour was relevant to teaching, working with children and working in an education setting. He has been banned from teaching.
READ MORE: Dad who was 'life and soul' of the party found dead in the middle of the night
Last year, at court, the ICT teacher was sentenced to 63 months imprisonment to run concurrently, placed on the Offenders Register for multiple offences. Lancs Live reports, he pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to five counts of sexual activity with a child, three counts of possessing indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communication with a child, inciting a child to watch sexual activity, and inciting a child to engage in sexual activity.
A teacher misconduct hearing heard how Slater, an ICT teacher at Byrchall High School, had engaged in sexual contact with the boy and even said his young age wasn't a problem. It was in October 2019 that the events of what happened came to light when the teen's phone was seized from a property in Wigan.
The panel heard: "On 31 October 2019, the Sexual Crime Unit executed a warrant at an address in Wigan. A mobile phone was seized from a 15-year-old boy. The phone was later examined and WhatsApp messages were recovered that were sexual in nature, contained sexual images and suggested that Mr Slater and the boy had engaged in sexual contact."
On May 28, 2020, the boy said he had sex with Salter and that the teacher was aware of his young age. Slater was arrested the same day and charged.
Decision maker, Sarah Buxcey said: "The panel was particularly concerned that, upon learning that the boy in question was 15, Mr Slater did not cease communications with the child or take any steps to seek to safeguard the child.
"Instead, he continued to pursue sexual contact and sexual conversations with him for his own gratification. This caused the panel concern given that pupils in education settings fall within these age ranges.
"The panel has made a recommendation to the Secretary of State that Mr Craig Slater should be the subject of a prohibition order, with no provision for a review period. Mr Craig Slater is prohibited from teaching indefinitely and can't teach in any school, sixth form college, relevant youth accommodation or children’s home in England.
"Furthermore, in view of the seriousness of the allegations found proved against him, I have decided that Mr Slater shall not be entitled to apply for restoration of his eligibility to teach."
READ NEXT: First picture of gunman who shot innocent girl, 15, in the neck at a bus stop
Young mum fears for toddler's life as bonfire is built outside her home
Heartbroken family told girl, 6, 'won't be the same' in few months time
Blackout warning as energy experts urge people to buy one thing
